The present invention relates to a device for applying a correction film to a substrate surface and more particularly to a hand operated device for transferring a film from a carrier tape to a substrate such as paper.
The prior art has provided devices which are designed to apply an adhesive film to a surface, the film generally provided on a carrier tape and being of the type which adheres to the substrate surface when pressure is applied against the tape at the surface. Typical of such devices are those disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,849,064, 4,851,076, and 4,853,074 each issued in the name of Manusch et al.
In general these devices under consideration are formed of a housing having a feed reel containing the carrier tape disposed within the housing and a reel for accepting the tape after usage, the tape being fed over an applicator member which extends from the housing and is generally disposed on a spring support of some type. The device is held in the hand of the user who applies the applicator to the substrate and exerts that pressure which he deems sufficient to press the tape against the substrate for transfer of the film to the substrate while maintaining the tape at a substantially uniform pressure across the tape width, such that the film is evenly applied.
While these devices have proved to be adequate, the requirement of the user to both provide adequate pressure to the applicator to be subsequently transferred to the tape, and the necessity to stabilize the applicator to provide uniform pressure across the width of the tape, by manipulation of the device, leaves room for improvement. Should the pressure applied by the user be insufficient to cause transfer of the film to the substrate, skipping will occur leaving portions of the substrate area being worked upon uncovered by the film. Likewise, should the applicator over which the tape is fed be subjected to variable pressure from side to side movement of the device, various portions of the film will not adhere to the substrate leaving a skipping motion across the width of the tape. These conditions often prove undesirable and it is often necessary that the user of a device of the type under consideration practice with the device in order to obtain satisfactory results each time the device is used.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hand operated device for transferring film from a carrier tape to a substrate in which the pressure determined to apply the film from the tape onto the substrate is automatically achieved by the user with each application.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the type set forth above in which the pressure over the width of the tape during application is automatically maintained, uniformly over the width of the tape.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a hand operated device of the type described above which provides a hand gripping portion which provides increased control over application of the tape to the substrate.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a hand operated device of the type under consideration which is simple to construct and reliable in operation.